Physician Heal Thyself

Yesterday it was reported in the news that the UK has the worst survival rates after serious trauma of any developed country. In fact our survival rates are as low as 16% whereas in America, a country oft slated for its health care, the rates are up to 43% (although this may be partly because they have more experience with serious trauma). So to hear the government patting themselves on the back this morning because the health service has £2 billion surplus this year does not seem quite right. There is only one way that a service can go from a massive deficit one year to a surplus the next and that is to be cutting that service to the bone. I don't want to hear that the NHS has a surplus, I want to know that every penny has been spent so that we can get the best from our taxes. Both deficit and surplus represent inappropriate spend and misuse of our money. Good use of a budget requires understanding what is available and spending correctly, investing in the correct areas. Missing budget, either positively or negatively, shows a failure in budgetary management (at best setting the budget incorrectly so that you can look good by coming under it, at worst fiscal incompetance).